A Very Percabeth Christmas
by riptidedauntlessgryffindor
Summary: Percy and Annabeth, and their kids, Bella and Ethan, are counting down the days until Christmas. Percabeth (demigod universe) Please review and tell me what you think! [complete] Have a Merry Christmas!
1. Tree

**Author's note-**

 **Welcome to my Christmas one-shot story. I hope you enjoy! Chapters will probably be posted every day, hopefully.**

 **-SOS**

 **1\. T** **ree**

"Okay, crew!" Annabeth yelled, her intention to wake her family up working as a groggy Percy, wearing his usual winter pajamas – an old blue shirt and green pants covered in little crabs, matching Annabeth's outfit (which consisted of blue leggings and a "Crabby but Cute" sweatshirt that Percy had jokingly bought her, but she actually loved due to it being super comfortable) stumbled out of his room. Annabeth called again, "Time to wake up!"

"Mommy!" seven-year-old Ethan cried from the room he shared with his five-year-old sister Bella. "Mommy, how do you put this shirt on?"

"Hold on, sweetie," Annabeth shouted back. "First let me put on my own clothes," she said, walking back into her room to throw on jeans and a long-sleeved maroon shirt.

"I'd rather have them off," Percy whispered softly as he kissed her good-morning, making her shiver at his tone.

"We have _kids_ in the room next door," she hissed. "Now, go get ready. It's the first day of December. Time to go pick out a Christmas tree."

She rolled her eyes as Percy pouted playfully, and then went to go help her son with his shirt.

Once the whole Jackson-Chase family was ready, they ate some blue pancakes, warmed up from the box that Sally gave them every week, and drank orange juice to wash the delicious food down. Annabeth also made some healthy toast, but no one ate that except for her.

They walked through New Athens to the camp store. It was a pretty long walk, but Annabeth bought them all some hot chocolate, so it seemed shorter. Once they got there, Juniper was waiting for them, dressed in an elf costume. Grover was standing awkwardly next to her, wearing a reindeer outfit.

"Are you looking for a tree on this fine December morning?" Juniper started, smiling in a welcoming kind of way. "Well, look no farther. We have some beautiful artificial trees right here," she said, leading the Jackson-Chase family into the store.

"We were looking for a real tree," Bella said loudly. She was only five, so she didn't know any better. "We want a real tree!"

Ethan joined in. "Real trees are prettier, and they smell better!"

"I am flattered that you think my siblings and cousins are beautiful, but you have gone around smelling them?" Juniper looked flabbergasted. "Well, that's all very nice, but I would not like to see my relatives being chopped down," here she shuddered a little, before continuing, "just for a month of Christmas. I advise you to buy an artificial tree."

"Okay, kids, which artificial tree do you want, kids?" Percy said, giving in to Juniper's request.

After a tall tree had been picked out and brought back to the house, the family was content. Christmas was in twenty-four days, and the holiday season had begun.


	2. Lights

**Author's note-**

 **Here's the second installment! Enjoy!**

 **-SOS**

 **2\. Lights**

The next day, Percy came home from his job (training kids at Camp Half-Blood) at three o'clock in the afternoon with a bag. Of course, his kids jumped on top of him, wondering what was in the bag. Was it some presents? Maybe some food, especially blue pancakes or cookies? But they were disappointed, because all that Percy had in his bag were some holiday lights.

"Come on, guys, they're not that boring," Percy said to Bella and Ethan, who were pouting at the sight of a long string of multicolored lights. "See, we can hang them up around the house. Let's surprise Mommy, and hang them in the living room."

Bella smiled, and grabbed one end of the light string. "I don't think so, Daddy," she said in an adorable five-year-old voice. "We can decorate you!"

Ethan knew exactly what she was thinking. He pulled the string of lights over to Percy, and started wrapping it around him. Bella helped by giving him more of the Christmas lights as he needed them. Percy let his children have their fun, knowing they wouldn't intentionally hurt him, or break the lights.

When her father was all tied up in the string of holiday lights, Bella walked over to the outlet in the wall and plugged Percy's Christmas light string. At that moment, Annabeth's key turned in the lock, and she walked in.

"Geez, Percy," Annabeth said, laughing. "I didn't know you could get turned on so easily…"

"Annabeth, we have kids here!" Percy exclaimed, laughing nonetheless. He hopped over to the wall outlet and unplugged himself from the wall. Then, with Annabeth's help, he untangled the lights from his body.

"Sorry Daddy, we wanted to surprise Mommy with you lit up like that," Ethan said softly. He gave his father a hug, and so did Bella.

Annabeth joined in the hug. "I was very surprised," she said, grinning. "Now who wants to actually set up the lights? I thought that was the original plan, right?"

"Yeah," said Ethan, "but we got caught up."

"More like _I_ got tied up," Percy said, winking at his family. They all laughed.

"Well," Annabeth began, "Who wants to help with the lights?"

And after a few hours, the slightly dysfunctional family was done putting up the lights, and ready for the next day of the Christmas season.


	3. Decorations

**Author's note-**

 **Wow, I can't believe I'm still doing this! Go, me!**

 **-SOS**

 **3\. Decorations**

"This isn't enough," Annabeth said, looking at the beautiful lights hanging over their heads as the Jackson-Chase family sat in front of the miniature fireplace in their living room.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "We spent a whole two hours putting them up yesterday afternoon!"

"Yeah," Annabeth replied, "but we need more! Maybe a wreath, artificial on Juniper's request, and stuff like that. You know, holiday decorations."

"Okay," Percy said, "let's go find the perfect wreath!"

Ten minutes later, the Jackson-Chase family was back at the camp store, ready to browse through the wreaths that were there. Bella and Ethan had broken away from their parents, and were looking through the snow globes and other cute and fun things.

When Annabeth bumped Percy's arm to get his attention, he thought for a second that she was going to say something sappy about how their family had grown so much because of the look on her face, but instead, she exclaimed, "I found the perfect wreath!"

"Great," Percy answered. "Where is it?"

Annabeth dragged him over to an isolated corner of the store, where a grey heather wreath lightly dotted with fake snow and covered in blue ornament balls was hanging up on a wall. Looking at it in a loving way, she said, "Isn't it amazing?"

"Really cool," Percy responded, "but I kind of like that one." He pointed to a wreath spray-painted green, though it was made out of plastic. It had a red bow and gold sparkles all over it. "Don't you think it looks good?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "I think the one I found is really nice, though. It really represents us as a family."

"Mommy, Daddy, let's not fight," Ethan said, hugging his dad and then his mom. "Look at what Bella and I found!" Even though he was only seven, he had taken after his mom and always tried to use proper grammar.

Bella came over to the rest of her family holding a "Make-Your-Own-Wreath" kit. "We should get one for me and one for Ethan!" she suggested excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Okay, guys, let's not get carried away," Annabeth said, and they began to talk about which wreath would be best.

Finally, they just bought all of them. So much for not getting carried away with the decorations...


	4. Family

**Author's note-**

 **Hi! Enjoy the fourth day of December's one-shot!**

 **-SOS**

 **4\. Family**

It was a good thing they had decorated the house so early, because they were going to have a family-and-friends reunion. The fact that half of their family consisted of immortal gods that probably wouldn't be able to make it to their house, even if they got the invitation, made the Jackson-Chase family decide to include family friends like Jason, Piper, Nico, Leo, Calypso, Hazel, and Frank, and their families.

Before Percy and Annabeth could unlock the door and be ready for their guests, it flew open with a _woosh!_ Athena stood there in all of her Greek-goddess glory. "I heard there was a family party?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "It starts in an hour, though. Maybe you could come back later?"

"No," thundered Athena. "I didn't get an invitation! You, my own daughter, didn't invite me to see your children during the holiday season, or your husband! Next time, just don't even bother saying you're a child of Athena!"

"I sent the invitation," Percy said. "I sent it last month."

"No, Daddy," little Bella said softly, "you didn't. I took them back because Grandma Athena is very scary."

"Oh, Bella," Annabeth sighed, but before she could rescue the situation, Ethan jumped in.

"Grandma Athena, come see my spelling test!" he exclaimed. "I got a 100, and it was all because of you! Thank you!"

Athena looked appalled. Then her expression softened. Even her hard demeanor couldn't compete with how adorable Bella and Ethan were. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll see your spelling test."

Percy and Annabeth grinned at each other once Athena and Ethan were out of earshot.

"Well, you know what they say about family," Annabeth said. "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."


	5. Stories

**Author's note-**

 **Thanks for the reviews; keep doing so!**

 **-SOS**

 **5\. Stories**

"Once upon a time, there was a dinosaur in the city," Percy started in a low, dramatic voice. Bella and Ethan stared at him, already enthralled even though he was only on the first sentence. He continued the story, "The dinosaur–"

"Died," Annabeth said. "Dinosaurs were around long before people, and therefore long before any civilizations including cities were built, so your story is historically incorrect. Sorry!"

"But Mommy, it was story time!" Bella protested, frowning. "Daddy was telling us a story!"

"Well, it wasn't right," Annabeth said. "If you really can't sleep, I'll tell you a story that's true."

"Ooh, can you tell us how babies are made?" Ethan said mischievously. "All my friends were talking about it at sword-fighting training yesterday, so I know, but I think Bella wants to know too."

"No!" Percy interjected before Bella could agree. "Mommy has a story in mind, and you will listen to it." He began to get up and leave the room. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, you're going to want to be here when I tell the story, Percy," Annabeth said, nodding knowingly. "It's not something you want to miss."

Percy sat down on the edge of the bed where the two kids were snuggled up. Annabeth perched on the arm of the rocking chair that was in the corner before beginning her tale: " _A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep; the hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days: Olympus to preserve or raze_."

Eyes widening, Percy opened his mouth to say something, but Annabeth shushed him. "The first time I met the hero of that prophecy, the one who would reach sixteen against all odds, I thought I hated him. And then they forced me to go on a quest with him, and, well, we kind of fell in love. But it wasn't until other hero mentioned in the prophecy died that I realized what I really felt. I thought I loved Luke and hated Percy, but in truth, Percy was meant for me." Her voice softened. "Thanks for being there, Seaweed Brain."

All was silent before Ethan launched a pillow at his mother. "We didn't want to hear some stupid romance story! We wanted to hear about dinosaurs or how babies are made."

"Fine," Annabeth said. "Dinosaurs are dead and babies are made when two people love each other very much. The end. Good night!"

Percy and Annabeth kissed their children goodnight, and left the room. Once they were out of earshot of the kids, Percy whispered, "Do you really feel that way?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "I love you, and that's the truest story ever."


	6. Storm

**Author's note-**

 **So yeah, I kind of stole this from Girl Meets World. :)**

 **-SOS**

 **6\. Storm**

The lightning flashed outside the Jackson-Chase home. The demigod city, New Athens, was not under the same protection as Camp Half-Blood, so weather could affect it at any point in time. Like right now, December sixth at five thirty-seven in the afternoon. It was raining, and Zeus was obviously stressed out or something, because the lightning was pretty scary.

At the moment, Percy and his kids were sitting in the living room of their apartment, watching television while Annabeth was making them all a snack. Bella and Ethan were waiting for an advertisement to end so they could go back to watching a football game with their parents.

"Here's the chocolate popcorn you wanted," Annabeth announced, coming into the living room. "Eat up, but don't spill!"

Just as she set the plate down, the lights flickered, and a flash of silver streaked past the window, followed quickly by the sound of thunder.

"I'm scared!" Bella screamed, and ran to her and Ethan's room. Ethan got up and followed, not because he was scared, but because he knew the power would eventually go out and he would be the safest in his bedroom.

Percy and Annabeth walked to the doorway of their kids' room, carrying the bowl of popcorn and a flashlight just in case. The scene the kids were in the middle of carrying out was so adorable that they couldn't help but just watch and not interfere.

"No," Bella was muttering with her eyes shut tight. "We'll be okay."

"Um, no we won't," Ethan said. "We could get hit by lightning."

"No!" shrieked Bella. "Go away, Ethan."

"Okay, Bella," Ethan said. "Come on, I made a blanket fort. I'll tell you a story."

Bella cracked a weak smile as she followed her brother to his bed where there were blankets and pillows stacked on top of each other. She and Ethan burrowed into them until only the tips of their toes were visible, and Ethan turned on a flashlight just as the lights flickered for one last time and finally went out.

"Ahh!" Bella tried to get out of the blanket fort, but she couldn't. "It's dark!"

"Yeah, I know," Ethan answered in a caring voice. "It's okay. I'll tell the story now. Actually, let's play a game instead."

"What kind of game?" Bella said, suddenly interested and not struggling to leave anymore. "Is it fun?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "So you know what we are? We are hunting for gold in Alaska."

"Alaska? But that's so far away!"

"Exactly. But we're in our tent, and suddenly these beautiful bright lights come out of nowhere. It the aurora borealis. The Northern Lights," Ethan explained. "And we fall asleep to the echoes of the lights. Do you want to do that?"

"Yeah," Bella said. "Yeah, I do."

"Close your eyes and imagine. You're trying to sleep, and… Bella?" The last part was whispered, because his little sister had fallen asleep. Carefully, he lifted the blankets off so she could breathe, and walked out of the room.

"Good job, little dude," Percy said. "That's the bravest I've seen any grandson of Poseidon be during a thunderstorm."

"Thanks," Ethan whispered. "I was petrified."

And when the power came back on the next morning, a surprise was waiting for the little family. It would make them happy, and maybe even make Bella believe she was in Alaska.

But we'll see about that tomorrow!


	7. Snow

**Author's note-**

 **Sorry about the late update! I got so caught up with stuff, but I'm back now!**

 **-SOS**

 **7\. Snow**

The moment Percy woke up, he knew it was going to be a different kind of day. Even before he opened the curtains and let the light in, he knew. He didn't know why, he just knew.

And when the window curtains were opened and Percy was sitting by them on the couch, he sighed. Nothing to say, nothing to do. It was a snow day, and he was feeling the boredom already. He knew the kids would wake up and discover their freedom soon, so he walked over to the kitchen to put some frozen waffles in the toaster.

Two minutes later, when the waffles had been toasted and put on a plate along with syrup, Bella and Ethan came running out of their room, and jumped onto Percy's back. He laughed and carried them into the living room, one of the few rooms in their house with carpeting, so if he fell with the kids, it wouldn't hurt as much.

As the three of the members from the Jackson-Chase family rolled around wrestling each other playfully, Annabeth came out of her room, and started laughing. "Guys, it's a snow day! A day full of fun and freedom, and you're wrestling your father?"

"Um, oh," Bella said, starting to laugh too. "Maybe we should eat breakfast, Mommy?"

"I made waffles," Percy announced, and the rest of his family followed him into the kitchen. "Eat up!"

The kids dug into waffles while Annabeth made tea for her and Percy to drink. Once they had all eaten breakfast, Annabeth smiled like she had a great idea. "We should go to camp. It didn't snow there, so maybe Percy and I can train you two with wooden sword-fighting. What do you say, kids?"

"Yeah!" Ethan said enthusiastically. "I want to learn."

"I guess so," Bella said. "I wanted to play in the snow."

"We can do that tomorrow," Annabeth reassured her daughter. "Don't worry."

"Okay," Bella replied. "Let's go!"

The Jackson-Chase family spent the rest of the day in the arena, laughing and training, but most of all, hoping to build a snowman tomorrow.


	8. Snowman

**Author's note-**

 **The idea for this chapter is credited to: maxerica and percabeth rule**

 **Thanks so much!**

 **-SOS**

 **8\. Snowman**

After waking up the next day and finding the snow to still be there, the Jackson-Chase family decided to stay in and have a movie day, which was a pretty fun idea. But letting the kids pick the first movie was not a good idea.

"Let's watch _Frozen_ ," Bella suggested, pulling out the DVD from the bottom of a pile. "I love Olaf!"

So they put in the movie without changing out of their pajamas, and carried their breakfast plates of Pop-Tarts to the couches.

The first time Olaf appeared on the screen and started singing "In Summer," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Snowmen can't talk, much less sing. They're made of frozen water, for Zeus' sake!"

"Mommy," Ethan whined. "Please don't ruin the movie for us."

"Sorry," Annabeth mumbled sheepishly. "I guess if Greek gods can be real and one half of my parentage, then snowmen can talk. In a kids' movie, that is."

The rest of the movie-watching was spent in silence, as the kids were too intrigued to talk, and Percy was fast asleep. Annabeth was biting back her comments so that her kids could enjoy their movie.

When the movie was over, Bella jumped up, the look on her face signifying she had an idea. "Let's build an Olaf!"

Ethan quickly seconded her proposal. "We can make it in the yard, with all the snow."

"Okay," Annabeth reluctantly agreed, and shook Percy awake. "We're going outside. Do you want to join us?"

Percy got up, and the entire family put on their jackets and snowpants, getting ready to go outside. They soon, with family teamwork, built a snowman that resembled Olaf.

"Yay!" cheered the kids. Then they started to sing, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

Percy and Annabeth just sighed and hugged each other.


	9. Letters

**Author's note-**

 **I think I'm back on track. Today is December 9, and this is number 9.**

 **-SOS**

 **9\. Letters**

 _Dear Mom,_ Percy wrote, trying not to mix up his letters. _M_ , not _N_ , he thought.

"What are you doing, Percy?" Annabeth asked. "It's almost 11:00 at night!"

"Oh, I'm just writing a letter to my mom," Percy replied. "You go to sleep. I'll be there in a minute."

"Do you need help with any spelling?" Annabeth asked, and then left when Percy shook his head.

Percy stared at his paper. _Dear Mom, I miss you. I can't believe you're in Greece for your anniversary with Paul. I wish you were here, but I'm glad you'll get back in time for Christmas celebration. Let me tell you what we did today._

 _We took the train to Manhattan, where your house is, but we went to Central Park instead of stopping by at your house. Well, Annabeth and the kids went to Central Park. I stayed behind at your apartment (yes, I still have that key from a long time ago) and stared at our pictures._

 _The kids had a wonderful time at Central Park, but I wasn't there. Mom, I love you, and I hope you'll get home quickly._

 _Love, Percy._

With that, he put the letter in its envelope and shut the light off. Then he walked to his room that was shared with Annabeth, and saw her standing there.

"I heard you writing your letter," Annabeth said. Percy silently cursed himself. He had forgotten that he sometimes spelled things and wrote out loud.

"Yeah?" he said carefully. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," she replied, smiling. "I just wish I had the same connection with my father. The last letter he sent me was a birthday card… He thinks my birthday is July seventeenth."

"I'm sorry," Percy said. "But you know I love you, right?"

"And I love you too," Annabeth replied, leaning into him. And they could have stayed like that forever.


	10. Candy Canes

**Author's note-**

 **Enjoy! Please review!**

 **-SOS**

 **10\. Candy Canes**

"I like the blue ones the best," Percy said like it was obvious. "The blue raspberry candy canes are my absolute favorite."

"Rainbow is my favorite," Bella said, licking her lips in anticipation of the sweet treat. "It tastes like fruit!"

"And you _like_ fruit?" Annabeth said, almost laughing. "Bella, you wouldn't even eat the camp strawberries if they were covered in chocolate."

"Yeah, but it's sugary fruit, Mommy! Much better than regular fruit," Bella said, nodding her head wisely. "You wouldn't know."

"True," Annabeth admitted, "but my favorite type of candy cane are those air fresheners that smell like peppermint. They are so good!"

"Okay, guys, can we stop arguing about which kind is the best, and actually buy some?" Ethan whined. "I want to eat candy!"

"Fine," Annabeth replied. She turned toward the camper behind the counter of the camp store, and said, "We'll take one box of regulars to hang on the tree, and one box of assorted flavors for my kids to eat."

"Hey, what about me?" Percy asked as the cashier rang up Annabeth's purchase.

"On the subject of candy, I consider you a kid too," Annabeth joked. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," Percy said happily. "I'd be glad to eat as much candy as a kid anyway."

"Well, you have fun with that, Percy," Annabeth said, handing her three family members each a candy cane. "Let's go home."


	11. Mistletoe

**Author's note-**

 **I mean, come on. You knew this was coming...**

 **-SOS**

 **11\. Mistletoe**

"I can't believe we let Grover babysit our kids," Annabeth said in awe. "I know you needed a babysitter on short notice, but we could have figured something else out."

"Grover is pretty trustworthy," Percy said, looking fancy in his blue and green plaid shirt and jeans. "After all, we did go on our first quest together with him."

"Yeah, well," Annabeth replied. She was wearing a blue dress with green sparkles on the sleeves and skirt. "You never really know a person, do you?"

"Still," Percy said. "Let's just hope nothing happens and we can go to the party in peace."

They walked down the streets until they came to Piper and Jason's house. "I'll ring the doorbell," Annabeth said, and did so right away.

Piper answered the door, looking great in her calico red-and pink dress. Jason joined her in a red polo and jeans.

"Sorry about all the mistletoe," Piper apologized. "My mom helped me plan the party, and she ships a lot of the couples that are coming tonight." Then Piper noticed the looks Percy was shooting Annabeth. "On the other hand, maybe I'll just leave you two alone here for a while."

Annabeth grinned. "See you later, Pipes."

Once Jason and Piper had left, after Jason patted Percy on the back and said, "You got this, bro," Annabeth and Percy stared at each other awkwardly.

"So…" Percy said softly.

"This is how it all started," Annabeth said suddenly. "Remember? Eight years ago, we were standing under the mistletoe. Nine months later, Ethan was born. Percy, we have a family because of mistletoe."

"I'm sure it would have happened one way or another," Percy said, shifting from one foot to another. Annabeth noticed that, and smiled.

"You're here for the kiss, aren't you," she teased. "Well, here it is."

She leaned towards him as if in slow-motion, and then their lips were glued together, tongues racing in a battle for dominance. His hands were on her waist, and hers in his hair. They only pulled apart when air was needed, otherwise nothing could have broken them from the moment.

"Did Aphrodite enchant this mistletoe?" Percy asked. "Because it sure is powerful."

Annabeth just laughed, hugged him, and then pulled her husband in for another kiss under the mistletoe.


	12. Carols

**Author's note-**

 **You guys are awesome! Please review, follow, and favorite like you always do!**

 **-SOS**

 **12\. Carols**

"But Mommy, I'm a bad singer," Ethan complained, zipping up his winter coat. "It's not fair!"

"It's okay," Annabeth replied. "I'm bad at singing too. It's supposed to be fun, though, not stressful."

"What does stressful mean?" Bella interrupted. She easily had a beautiful voice; good even for a five-year-old. "Mommy, did you just say a bad word?"

"No, sweetie," Annabeth said, laughing. "Stressful means it causes you stress, which is a negative thing you put on your brain."

"So, like wool hats?" Bella said, frowning at the thought. She hated messing up her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair with hats, especially wool ones that shedded all the time.

"Um, if wool hats stress you out, then I would be glad that those are your problems," Annabeth muttered, helping Bella pull on her parka and zip it up. "But yeah, stress is life events that make you feel like you are overwhelmed. Like you two," she joked.

"Very funny," Ethan said, hugging his mom. "Is Daddy coming caroling with us?"

"Daddy's at camp, training the teenagers," Annabeth answered. "But maybe we'll see him as we're caroling, right?"

"Okay," the kids chorused together. They opened the door and walked out into the snow-dusted street. Walking down the roads, the decided where to go.

"Aunty Piper and Uncle Jason!" Bella suggested. Percy called Jason "bro" so much that the kids thought the two were actually related, and none of the adults had the heart to tell them the truth.

"Okay," Ethan agreed, and they walked across the street to Piper and Jason's building. Before they could ring the doorbell, they realized all the lights were off. "I guess they're not home," he said sadly. "Let's go visit Daddy?"

"Whatever you want," Annabeth responded. "Let's go to camp anyway; we can always stop at the Big House and sing for Chiron." And so the little family trekked through the roadways until the reached the Big House.

"I'll knock," Ethan volunteered, and reached his hand up to knock. "Get ready to sing!"

As soon as the door swung open, without even looking to see who it was, Annabeth, Bella, and Ethan started to sing, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!"

A voice interrupted them; one they recognized, "Hey, fancy seeing you here." It was Percy. Smiling, he hugged Bella and Ethan, and kissed Annabeth. "What brings you all this way? Are you here just to see me?"

"We would never walk three miles just to see you," Annabeth joked, but hugged him anyway.

"Love you too," he replied, and then pretended to remember something. "Do you want me to come caroling with you?"

And at the end of the evening, when they were all carol-ed out, Annabeth whispered, "You know, Percy, your voice is actually really good."

Percy's response? "I know."


	13. Lists

**Author's note-**

 **The poem is mine; please don't steal it.**

 **-SOS**

 **13\. Lists**

"Christmas is in twelve days, and I need to know what you guys want," Annabeth said. She had never bothered with Santa because she knew that her kids already had too many things on their mind to be bothered with a fat, overly-happy, stalker-like man who somehow could see you when you were sleeping and knew when you were awake. Santa, in her opinion, was a waste of time. Annabeth looked at Percy, Bella, and Ethan and repeated her statement: "I need to know what you guys want."

"Can we write lists?" Ethan asked, having just perfected his neatest cursive the other day, and spent every possible moment showing it off.

"Of course you can write _a_ list," Annabeth answered, "but only one list. Not multiple."

Bella laughed, but then her face fell. "I'm not good at writing," she said sadly. "Mommy, you won't know what to get me if I don't write a list."

"It's okay, Bella," Annabeth consoled her daughter. "I'll help you write it. You can tell me what you want, and I'll copy it onto a piece of paper."

"I need paper," Ethan said, but Percy was one step ahead of him. He handed each of he kids a piece of lined paper. "Thank you," Ethan said.

"I'm going to write too," said Percy. "That way, I'll get what I want." The rest of his family laughed and rolled their eyes.

Ten minutes later, Percy jumped up. "I finished! I wrote a poem." He looked around for a reaction, and when no one said anything, he sighed. "Here it is:

 _She is well-known;_

 _I know her well._

 _I think she's impossible;_

 _Only time will tell._

 _There are things about her,_

 _That almost make me yell._

 _She's an impossible girl,_

 _And in love with her I fell_."

Then he glanced at Annabeth. "All I want for Christmas is you."

"That's really cheesy," Annabeth said, but she was blushing. "Thanks."

"It's true," Percy replied. "I am in love with you, Annabeth Chase, and that will never change."

Instead of answering, Annabeth just smiled and turned back to her kids. "So, kids, let's see those Christmas lists, shall we?"


	14. Bells

**Author's note-**

 **Sorry for being so late. I'll try to get back on track later today!**

 **-SOS**

 **14\. Bells**

"See you guys at the big holiday parade!" Percy called, slipping on his jacket as he stood with one foot inside the door of their house. "Find some good seats, okay?"

"Bye! See you later," Annabeth replied, waving to her husband. The kids were reading a very interesting book, so they couldn't care less where their father went. Annabeth looked fondly at them before waving again and then shutting the door behind him.

"Are you going to be in the parade with us?" Bella asked. "I don't want to ring the bells alone." This year, the Jackson-Chase family decided to enter a float in the big holiday parade, and their design was Santa's sleigh, because even though they didn't believe in Santa Claus, other kids did, and it was a holiday tradition anyway. Bella's job was to ring the bells while Blackjack pulled the sleigh, and Percy was going to be Santa Claus. Ethan was going to dress up as an elf, but all Annabeth had done was come up with the idea.

"I don't know, honey," Annabeth answered. "Do you have your costume all ready?" This was directed at both of the kids, as Ethan was still sitting on the couch, reading his book. "Ethan, I'm talking to you."

"Yeah?" He looked up. "I laid it out on my bed, Mommy. Should I change into it now?"

"Sure, why not?" Annabeth replied. "We should get going soon anyway."

Bella jumped up too, and grabbed her dress from where it was hanging up in the closet. She then ran into the bathroom while Ethan dashed into his bedroom to change also. They both came out into the hallway at the same time, and Annabeth grinned. _It was a good idea_ , she thought, _to have them dress up_.

Bella had an off-white dress with a gold sash that matched her gold bells that she was holding. She also wore a gold headband with sparkles. Ethan wore a green jumpsuit, with a red elf collar and red elf slippers. He also had a red and green elf hat.

The best part was when the door opened and Percy came in. He was all decked out in his Santa Claus costume, with the beard and everything. Annabeth laughed and hugged him, just to feel the pillows he had stuffed inside his jacket. "Let's go," he said, holding the door open. "Your chariot awaits."

The parade was a success. Bella rang the bells, and Ethan danced around. Percy laughed "Ho, ho, ho!" for a very long time, and Blackjack even flew a little at request. And everyone congratulated Annabeth on her wonderful family, and amazing idea.

After all, it was the holiday spirit.


	15. Toys

**Author's note-**

 **10 days until Christmas! Who else is excited?**

 **-SOS**

 **15\. Toys**

"That's a beautiful Lego design, Ethan," Annabeth complimented her son. "What is it supposed to be?"

"It's supposed to be the Argo II," Ethan answered. "Remember, the ship you sailed on to save the world?" He said this casually, like everyone in the world had a mother who had sailed on a ship to save the world.

Annabeth smiled. "It's really detailed," she said, and it was, down to the bronze hull and Festus' head as the masthead. "You're really good with Legos, Ethan!"

"Thanks," he replied, a shy smile creeping onto his face. "I like building things, just like you used to when you were younger. Didn't you redesign Olympus once?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said, "but that was a long time ago. I used to love playing with Legos too. Maybe you'll become an architect someday?"

"I don't know," Ethan said. "Are we allowed to go into the real world?"

"If you want to, I guess," Annabeth responded. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here, then?" Ethan asked. "Do I have to clean my room? Because my side of the room is all clean, but Bella's is the one that needs to be cleaned."

"You need to throw out some toys," Annabeth said. "We're getting you new ones for Christmas, so you need to make room."

"But my Legos!" Ethan cried, dramatically falling onto his back on the couch.

"You'll get more," Annabeth said. "Now clean out your toys."

If Ethan hid some toys underneath his bed so he wouldn't have to throw them away, he wouldn't get in trouble, would he? After all, he had made room for new ones. And his toys were there to stay.


	16. Cards

**Author's note-**

 **Hi, guys! Keep reviewing like you already do! Thanks for reading!**

 **-SOS**

 **16\. Cards**

"Mommy, can you draw me an emerald for a card for Julia?" Bella asked. Julia was Frank and Hazel's daughter, and she was going to be at Camp Jupiter for the holidays, along with her parents. But Bella considered Julia her cousin, and since the two girls were around the same age–only a one year difference–they got along pretty well.

It was Wednesday, and the kids were home after school, making cards for their friends and relatives. Ethan was making pop-up cards that were intricately designed, and very beautiful, but poor little Bella was having a hard time even drawing things on the front of the first card.

"Honey, you know I'm not a very good artist," Annabeth answered, coming over to where her daughter was sitting and standing above the younger girl. "But just try your hardest, and maybe it will come out okay."

"No! No, it won't. I'm a bad artist, Mommy!" Bella cried, throwing her papers and markers onto the floor in despair. "You don't love me because I stink at art!"

Ethan chose the wrong moment to present his three-dimensional paper house with holiday lights covered in glitter and the roof covered in a thin layer of cotton "snow" on top. "Do you think it's okay?"

With that, Bella burst into tears.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around Bella, and lifted her up. "You don't have to be good at everything, Bella. You're already good at singing, and being beautiful, and I would love you even if you weren't. So, being good at art won't make you unloved."

"But Mommy," Bella whispered through her tears, "I'm not as good as Ethan!"

"He _is_ older than you, and he's had more experience. Maybe you could paint a swirly scene for Julia?" Annabeth suggested, because she knew Bella loved to mix colors. "I'm sure Julia would love it."

But instead, Bella turned to Ethan. "Can you help me make my cards?"


	17. Calendar

**Author's note-**

 **Hey, guys! Hope you enjoy!**

 **-SOS**

 **17\. Calendar**

Annabeth was sitting, waiting for the big hand on the clock to turn to six while the little hand was in between two and three. Basically, she was waiting for two-thirty, the time when she had to leave the house to pick up her kids at Hebe Elementary School, the school named after the Greek goddess of youth. While building the city of New Athens, Annabeth had tried to acknowledge as many lesser-known gods as she could. And now she was going to one of her buildings that was named after one of them, to pick up her kids.

When she got to the school, Bella was jumping up and down excitedly. "Mommy, mommy, guess what?"

"What's the matter, Bella?" Annabeth asked, picking up Bella's baby blue bag and starting to walk down the hallway towards Ethan's classroom. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, but it's something good," Bella reassured her mother. "Mrs. Dare started to decorate our classroom, and you know what she pulled out of the closet?"

Ethan joined the conversation after they picked him up from his classroom. "What did she pull out of the closet?"

"A Countdown-to-Christmas calendar," Bella replied, grinning happily. "We need one too, Mommy!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. Explain to me what this calendar thing is?" Annabeth grabbed her kids' hands as they came to a busier part of the city, walking past stores and restaurants, and seeing everything new that they wanted for Christmas. "Bella, please don't tell me you want another Christmas present."

"No, I–" Bella cut herself off as she pointed into a window of a large store, and exclaimed, "That's it! That's the Countdown-to-Christmas calendar."

Annabeth looked at it. It was a red, green, and white painted thin cardboard box, with twenty-five little openings that were advertised as having one little treat every day. It was quite adorable, actually. Annabeth thought that it might be a nice investment.

"Let's make our own calendar," she suggested. "Christmas is too close for us to spend that kind of money on something like that. We can put glitter on ours," she said to Bella, "and you can draw things on it, Ethan."

So the kids had to be content with making their own Countdown-to-Christmas calendar. But it turned out pretty good, so they were very happy.


	18. Vacation

**Author's note-**

 **Hello, it's me...**

 **Don't forget to review and check out my other stories! Thank you!**

 **-SOS**

 **18\. Vacation**

Usually, the Jackson-Chase family would take a trip to Montauk during the holiday season, but since Percy's mother was out of the country until the day before Christmas Eve, they didn't want to go without her. So this year, they were going to take a vacation to a resort in Massachusetts, and it was going to be fun, once the drive was over. The ride was going to be almost four hours long, and even people without ADHD would have trouble sitting still that long. But it was going to be fun, they all knew it.

"What should I pack, Mommy?" Ethan said at nine o'clock in the morning, four hours before they were set to start driving. "Do I need a swimsuit?"

"Yeah, you do," Annabeth replied, looking up from her map and informational pamphlet about the resort. "There are two indoor pools and a hot tub. We can even bring a beach ball to play with!"

"Will Daddy do his cool water tricks?" Bella asked, carrying a pile of clothes over to one of the open suitcases that lay in the living room. "We haven't seen those in so long because of the ice on the lake."

"It depends, Bella," Annabeth said. "Don't say anything about them to anyone else, okay?"

"I know, I know," Bella said, waving a hand at her mother. "I'm not stupid."

After they packed, they had an early lunch at eleven-thirty, and then walked to the edge of camp where Percy was with the rental car. He was lucky he had a license; most demigods didn't have time to learn how to drive. But Percy did, and his driving was how they were going to get to Lee, Massachusetts, where the resort was.

The ride was long and boring, as predicted, but nothing went wrong and no monsters appeared. Percy had Riptide just in case, and the kids had practiced sword-fighting a few days earlier. When they got to the entrance of the resort, they waited as Percy got their room keys to a two-bedroom condo, with a kitchen and a jacuzzi tub.

When they walked into the little apartment, the kids ran around while Annabeth and Percy unpacked. "We can go swimming tomorrow morning when no one is there, so Daddy can do his water tricks. Let's have dinner now."

They went to the main building, and ordered Subway food from the restaurant that was there. It was delicious, and they all fell asleep happy.

Vacation had just begun, and all was well.


	19. Shopping

**Author's note-**

 **Yes, I am behind. I admit it. But I'll try to update again today if you guys review!**

 **-SOS**

 **19\. Shopping**

Waking up at five in the morning was not the way the Jackson-Chase family had planned to spend their vacation. But after realizing that the pool had opened already, at four-thirty, they decided it wasn't so bad after all.

Ethan and Bella changed into their swimsuits and were ready by five-fifteen. Bella threw on her pink and blue coverup and Ethan put a shirt on over his navy blue swimming trunks. Percy took at least ten minutes deciding which pair of swim shorts he should wear, and when Annabeth picked out a green and blue pair for him, he wanted to know if she was going to match with him. They got through the mayhem eventually, and at a quarter to six, they were ready to head over to the pool.

There was no lifeguard there when they got to the building that housed the indoor pool, but there was a sign posted that read: **Swim at your own risk. We are not responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by lack of a lifeguard. There will be a lifeguard on duty at 10:00 a.m. and afterword.**

"Great," Percy said happily. "We don't need to be as careful with my powers."

Two hours later, their fingers were wrinkling into prunes, but their faces were crinkling into smiles. Percy had put on quite the show for his children and his wife, complete with air bubbles and underwater dancing. They went back to their room to get ready, eat breakfast, and plan out the rest of the day.

After eating cereal bars, the family got into the rental car. "We're going shopping," said Annabeth. "Clothes, clothes, and more clothes!"

"You sound like Aphrodite," joked Percy, but they drove to the Lee Premium Outlets, only a ten-minute drive away.

They walked into a store. "Ooh, look at the cute leggings for Bella!" Annabeth called, and then noticed the price. "And it's a great deal."

They ended up buying almost a whole wardrobe between all of them, and everyone was happy when they went back to the resort that night and tried the clothes on again.

You have to admit, shopping while on vacation or anytime during the holiday season is always better than shopping during a normal day.


	20. Gingerbread

**Author's note-** **Sorry for being one day late. Maybe if you review I will post another chapter today!**

 **-SOS**

 **20\. Gingerbread**

The next day, the whole Jackson-Chase family awoke to the sound of Christmas music. Apparently they had forgotten to turn their television off, and it had been on the resort's informational channel all night long, with "Jingle Bells," "Deck the Halls," and other Christmas favorites playing until they woke up.

Annabeth got up to turn off the television so that they could all sleep a little longer, but before she did, she noticed an advertisement on the channel. It read: **Join us in the main building today, Sunday December 20 from 10 am to 12 am, to decorate gingerbread houses. Pre-baked houses, only fifteen dollars per house!**

"Hey, guys," she said, turning the television off, "do you want to go decorate gingerbread houses? I think we should. It will be fun!"

The kids agreed immediately. "Yeah, I wanna go!" Bella exclaimed, and Ethan nodded.

Percy had drifted back to sleep, but when he woke up and saw the twinkle in Annabeth's eye, he said a quick, "Sure, why not?" before going back to sleep.

So at 9:56 am, the family walked over to the main building, ready to decorate gingerbread houses. They bought two, one for each of the kids. Bella really wanted her mom to help her, and Ethan was fine doing it alone. Percy left them and wandered into the arcade to check it out.

Bella's, made mostly with Annabeth's suggestions, was really beautiful. The roof was made of Nilla Wafers, and the chimney had a marshmallow Santa Claus sticking out of it. The roof was lined with a string of Twizzlers with Nerds stuck onto them, resembling Christmas lights. A wreath made out of a green Lifesaver gummy hung above the door, which was made of graham crackers and a dot of icing for the doorknob. The path was made of Smarties, and lined with spice-drops. All in all, it was pretty amazing.

Poor Ethan's wasn't as good. He hadn't used enough icing, so everything he made was falling onto the table. But he kept a smile on his face as the judges came around to make their decisions.

"And the winner is…" Everyone turned to look at the man in the center as he announced the winner. "Bella Jackson-Chase!"

And after collecting the prize, and eating lunch, they started on their way back home.


	21. Presents

**Author's note-**

 **Okay, does anyone have any ideas for what Percy and Annabeth give each other? Review or PM and tell me what you think!**

 **-SOS**

 **21\. Presents**

The next day, after dropping their kids off at daycare, Percy and Annabeth decided to go pick out presents for their friends and their kids. All the stores in New Athens were open, so they each took some money, decided to meet back at the coffeeshop by their house, and split up.

Annabeth's job was to get presents for Reyna, Frank, Hazel, Nico, and Will, while Percy's task was to shop for Piper, Jason, Leo, Calypso, and the kids. They also needed to get presents for each other while they were separated.

Percy headed off to the candle store for Leo and Calypso. A candle was the perfect present, because Calypso loved to smell each and every flavor and she liked the scents of them filling up her house. Leo liked candles because… well, it was kind of obvious. At the candle store, Percy bought a few flower-scented candles that reminded him of Calypso's garden on Ogygia, and checked that couple off his list.

Annabeth bought a personalized hot chocolate mug for Reyna, with the words, "SPQR means Super-Perfect Queen Reyna. Don't deny it!" printed on it in purple letters. She hoped it would remind Reyna of the time they spent drinking hot chocolate, and _not_ the times their camps spent fighting.

Piper and Jason were easy to shop for, according to Percy. He bought them picture frames with three-dimensional aspects of Olympus on the sides. The couple loved to take pictures with a camera Percy had bought them the year before, and this was another perfect gift.

Laughing to herself as she picked out Frank and Hazel's present, Annabeth grinned evilly. She was holding a panda bathrobe for Hazel and a panda pajama t-shirt for Frank, and though she knew that it was adorable, she couldn't help but wonder if they had too much panda stuff already. But she dismissed the thought and bought the items anyway.

Percy picked out surprises for the kids, and then bought a surprise for Annabeth. She had already bought his surprise, and was in the process of buying Nico and Will presents.

She bought Nico a black t-shirt with a faded, dully-colored rainbow on it, and bought a brighter one in white for Will.

Shopping for Christmas presents was done.


	22. Cookies

**Author's note-**

 **Okay, this one's kind of short. Sorry about that; I'll try to do better next time.**

 **-SOS  
** **2** **2\. Cookies**

"How much sugar?" Annabeth shouted across the kitchen to her kids. She was good at many things, but baking was not one of them. Or at least, not one of her best abilities.

"Three-quarters of a cup!" Ethan shouted back, reading from a cute little recipe book. Bella sat next to him, doing the hair on one of her dolls. Percy was still out training kids at camp, so he was missing out on all the fun.

Annabeth mixed in the rest of the ingredients, and the two kids spooned the batter onto baking trays. "Great job, guys," she said, putting the non-baked cookies into the oven. "I think these are going to come out great!"

Ethan tried not to laugh. The past few years, their cookies were either burnt or something else bad had happened to them. So, their cookies would only be great if some miracle happened.

"Can we not sit in the kitchen in front of the oven the whole time like we did last year?" Bella asked. "I know you want them to be perfect, Mommy, but that's what the timer is for!"

Sighing, Annabeth nodded. "I guess we can play a game while we wait."

Ten minutes later, Annabeth took the cookies out of the oven. "I think this year is the perfect year!" she exclaimed happily. "These look amazing."

It was true. The cookies were golden-brown, and looked really pretty.

"I think we should bake cookies every day!" Bella said once they tasted the sweet treats.

And Annabeth agreed.


	23. Stockings

**Author's note-**

 **Okay, guys, Christmas is getting closer. Maybe for presents you can review?**

 **-SOS**

 **23\. Stockings**

The first thing that the kids did when they woke up was jump into their parents' bed and snuggle. And it was six o'clock in the morning, so it was a wonder any of them were awake, but all of them were. It must have been the excitement of Christmas Eve the next day, or maybe they were just hyper on cookies from the day before. Either way, they were all lying silently in Percy and Annabeth's bed, when Bella's little voice piped up.

"Mommy, it's the day before Christmas Eve! What are we going to do?"

Annabeth rolled over to hug her daughter. "Maybe we should get out of bed first. This bed doesn't really fit all four of us."

Percy agreed. "Yeah, let's go eat breakfast. We can also call Grandma Sally. She got back last night."

"Yay, Grandma Sally!" Ethan exclaimed. "Can we go to her house and eat there?"

"Actually, let's do that," Annabeth said. "We can change into our clothes and go. Let's just call her first, okay?"

While Percy went to the Big House to use the phone, the rest of the family got ready for the day. When Percy got back, they were all ready, so they decided to leave.

Once they got to Sally's apartment building, the door was already unlocked, like she knew exactly when they were coming. She had a stack of pancakes ready on the kitchen table, and she embraced Percy and his family when they came in.

"Percy and crew," she joked, smiling happily. "I love that you came over as soon as you could!"

They all ate breakfast, chatting and laughing. Then, Ethan and Bella wandered into the next room, and started to jump for joy.

"Since I'm not going to see you guys on Christmas," Sally explained, following the kids into the room, "I got you a few presents, but no peeking."

Sitting on the table, full of goodies, were two stockings. One was fuzzy and royal blue, and said, "I'm a Christmas Princess" in gold letters. The other one looked the same, but said, "I'm a Christmas Prince" instead.

The two kids smiled and hugged their grandmother. "Thank you," they said in unison.

So, stockings made them happy.


	24. Fireplace

**Author's note-**

 **Merry Christmas Eve! Don't forget to look out for my last chapter on Christmas, tomorrow!**

 **Please review!**

 **-SOS**

 **24.** **Fireplace**

"It's Christmas Eve!" Bella shouted so loud that the whole house woke up with her at nine o'clock in the morning. "It's Christmas Eve and we get to see Julia today!"

Of course she would be excited about Hazel and Frank's daughter, Julia Zhang, coming over. Julia was six years old, only one year older than Bella, and the two girls were the best of friends, though they didn't see each other very often.

Julia and her family were going to get to Camp Half-Blood soon after lunchtime. They were shadow-traveling with Nico; after so many years of being protected by Will, he was finally allowed to use his powers again.

"Go back to sleep," Ethan mumbled to Bella. "Tomorrow's the day to get up early, not today!"

"Sorry, I'm just really excited," Bella said back, hugging her parents, who had just entered their kids' room. "I want to see Julia!"

"I want to see Rio," Ethan said, rolling out of bed. "I hope Aunt Reyna comes with Rio this year." Rio was Reyna's adopted son. He was seven years old, just like Ethan, and they were pretty friendly. Last year, Reyna had emergency business with Camp Jupiter, so she couldn't make it to their Christmas celebration, but this year, she was planning to come.

"I can't wait to see Leo and Calypso," Percy said, "but let's not dwell on that. How about we get the house ready for the guests, and set up the guest bedrooms for the ones sleeping over?"

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the house was ready. One bedroom was ready for the Zhang family, and there was a second bedroom for Reyna and Rio. Everyone else was either sleeping at their own houses or not staying the whole time. And the Jackson-Chase family was happy to be hosting the group of friends.

The doorbell rang immediately after Annabeth put the last pillow in place on the guest bed. Percy raced to open it, and discovered that it was Frank, Hazel, and Julia. Both families embraced each other, and they were all full of smiles. Bella took Julia off to play with dolls, and Ethan tried to be polite with the grown-ups until he noticed Reyna and Rio behind them. "Rio!" he exclaimed, and they high-fived each other. Then they both ran off into the house to hang out.

A few hours later, everyone else started arriving. Nico and Will, with their adopted baby daughter, Melanie Solace-di Angelo, came first. She was fourteen months old, but she was a healthy, adorable little girl, and no one could resist her chubby-cheeked grin.

Piper and Jason reached next. They hugged everyone, and deposited the presents from them to the others under the tree.

Leo and Calypso were last, but they came smiling and bearing gifts. "We come in peace," Leo joked as he knocked on the door and everyone stood there staring at him. "Just kidding, I come to steal all of your presents."

As the night got closer to being dark, everyone gathered around the miniature fireplace in the living room. Some sat on couches, people brought chairs from the kitchen, and the kids sat on the floor.

They told Christmas stories for a while, and then they decided to go to sleep. It turned out that everyone wanted to sleep over, so Annabeth pulled out sleeping bags and extra blankets for the whole crew.

"Goodnight, everyone! See you on Christmas!"


	25. Christmas

**Author's note-**

 **Merry Christmas. Sorry to say this story is over. Please review if you liked it or hated it, or if you want me to do one with a different couple next year!**

 **-SOS**

 **25\. Christmas**

What all the adults didn't know was that the kids, well, who were old enough to know what Christmas was, were planning to wake up early on Christmas morning. If they had known that, they wouldn't be surprised to be trampled on in the morning as the kids rushed to the tree to glance at their gifts.

"Hey, Julia," muttered Jason as she nearly missed stepping on his head. "Why are you guys up so early?"

"Shh," said Rio. "We're totally not sneaking looks at our presents." At the age of seven, he had just fully grasped the concept of sarcasm, and used it all the time. But he didn't get it completely. "Yes we are," he said after two seconds. "Don't tell!"

"Come on, Rio," Ethan whisper-called. "Let's see the presents!"

"Wait!" Piper said, waking up and sitting up. "Let's wake everyone up first. It's seven o'clock already."

"Okay," Bella said, a glint of evil in her eye. "Everyone wake up!" she yelled loudly, and not surprisingly, everyone did.

"Bella, sweetie, you could have just shaken us," Annabeth reprimanded her daughter. "You didn't have to yell."

"It's faster yelling," Bella countered. "Now come on. No time for talking. It's present time!"

Ten minutes later, the whole crew was sitting around the Christmas tree, staring at the presents. "Who wants to go first?" asked Percy.

The kids all grabbed their presents, and somehow knew that there was a race to open them. They ripped the wrapping paper off their gifts, and all of them smiled triumphantly.

"I got the best present," Ethan said first. "I got a Rubik's Cube!" He held up the colorful cube, and started to play with it immediately. "I'm going to solve it right now!" Julia and Rio had already opened their presents. Julia got a very intricately designed coloring book, and Rio got a robot turtle. Bella opened hers, and she got a karaoke set.

Meanwhile, the adults were exchanging gifts as well. Everyone hugged each other when they saw the gifts, and soon it was time for the couples to give their presents to each other. Piper stood up to give her speech to Jason.

"I know you were disappointed a few years ago when you found out I wasn't able to have babies. I remember we cried for about a month, and nothing could pull us out of our misery. I said, out of anger, that I never wanted a child, that even if we could, I wouldn't." By this time, every adult's eyes in the room were tearing up. "But I take that back, and I'm sorry for not thinking of this sooner," she got a piece of paper from a folder and presented it to him, "I think we should adopt a child."

Jason, who was crying now, hugged his wife and whispered his answer into her ear. That made them both smile and hug even tighter.

After they calmed down, Frank and Hazel gave each other a fake diamond from her to him and a fake piece of firewood from him to her. It was to signify that their love for each other was stronger than their disabilities.

Leo and Calypso exchanged two certificates, one from Leo saying they owned a building in the city and one from Calypso saying they had a permit to start a store. Their dream was finally coming true!

Nico and Will had made a pact not to get each other anything for Christmas, as part of Will's promise to convince Nico that he had everything he needed already, and nothing more was needed.

Finally, it was time for Percy and Annabeth to give each other presents.

"Honestly, I don't know what to give you now," Percy admitted. "Everyone else's gifts topped mine."

"I know what to give you," Annabeth said, leading him to the front door of the house. "Remember how you were so sad when Blackjack got old? Well, it turned out he had kids, and I found one of them." She showed Percy the beautiful black pegasus standing by the door. "You can name her whatever you want."

"Thanks," Percy said, kissing her on the cheek. "Now I really don't know what to get you."

"Just be here is all I need," Annabeth replied. "I love you; merry Christmas to you."

"Merry Christmas to you," agreed everyone. And it was.


End file.
